Harris’ daughter ‘beside herself’ over abuse claims

Rolf Harris’ daughter was so "beside herself" when she found out her father was accused of sexually abusing her friend that she furiously banged her head against a wall, a court has heard.

Bindi, the entertainer’s daughter, accused Harris over the phone of sexually molesting her friend and was so furious that she “smashed up” paintings he had given her, Southwark Crown Court in London heard.

Harris, 84, denies 12 counts of indecent assault between 1968 and 1986, seven of which relate to his daughter’s friend.

She claims he first assaulted her when she was 13 while on holiday, but he has told the court they had a consensual sexual relationship that did not start until she was 18.

On his third day in the witness box, Harris was questioned about his daughter’s furious reaction when she heard about the allegations, which he said came while he was overseas.

Prosecutor Sasha Wass asked the star: “Bindi was beside herself?”

He replied: “I suppose so, yes.”

Ms Wass said: “[The alleged victim] had told her and she accused you of sexually abusing (the alleged victim), didn’t she?”

Harris said: “Not person to person, not face to face.” But when Ms Wass asked if his daughter accused him over the phone, he said: “Yes.”

Ms Wass said: “She accused you over the phone of sexually molesting [the alleged victim], didn’t she?”

Harris replied: “Yes.”

Ms Wass said: “She [Bindi] was in such a state she was banging her head against a wall.”

She asked Harris if that had “filtered through” to him.

“She was beside herself with shock wasn’t she?” the prosecutor said.

Harris replied: “Yes.”

The prosecutor asked if he knew whether Bindi needed counselling at some stage, but he said: “I wasn’t aware of that.”

On Wednesday, Harris admitted that he admired his daughter’s 13-year-old friend sexually while on holiday, and admitted having a “darker side” alongside his public persona.

He was asked by the prosecutor if his “slow walk” into court, with his wife Alwen on one arm and Bindi on the other, was “just for the cameras”, to which he replied: “It’s to show support.”

Ms Wass suggested there was a “common theme” among the allegations, which included claims that Harris preyed on women as he met them in his public role, abused them with an originally friendly gesture, assaulted them while they could not get away, did it while people were nearby, and then afterwards behaved as if nothing had happened.

But the star dismissed all of the allegations against him as lies.

The case continues.